As baby boomers, we are mothers and grandmothers now. So, our children and grandchildren are looking unto us for comments, advice, inspiration, and motivation. Unfortunately, the situation our nation and the rest of the world are in now is critical, and none of us had ever witnessed anything like that before. If I am to talk to my grandchildren on covid 19, what will I say?
Of course, what would my mother say, assuming she is alive. She was my source of inspiration. I learned so much from her and she never wasted any opportunity to teach and educate me about life. She always shared her experiences and takes on life matters. She would have been 99 but she died 14 years ago. During her lifetime she witnessed war, depression, 9/11, hurricanes, and many other great disasters. But she never witnessed Covid 19 or any form of pandemics. However, if she had been around, she would have had her take on Covid 19. Well, she is no longer here, so now is my turn to share my opinion on the pandemic.
As much as I will want to give hope and assurance of a better tomorrow I will also want my children and grandchildren to know that their fears are real. It is a tragedy and it is still here. Nobody is safe. People are dying every day. As dead bodies are coming from the ICU more people are going in. parties are being rescheduled if not canceled. Weddings, anniversaries, prom, graduations, all the events that you only witnessed once in your lifetime are canceled. Hence, it is a disaster. However, there are also lessons we learn from the pandemic.
To everyone, both old and young, we must have learned that we can live life differently from the way we have been used to all our days. Within a very short period, so many things changed, yet we survived. Some things we thought we can’t do without are actually non-essential and we can now define things that are really important. Vacations, parties, make-ups, restaurants – they all suddenly turned to frivolities. But the truth is, that is exactly what they are. We just didn’t realize before.
But to us baby boomers that our children are looking unto for inspiration in times like this. I believe the following facts can guide us on what to say to them, and how we can be of help and motivation to the young generation.
Firstly, we should acknowledge the fact that we have witnessed enough in our decades on earth to know how best to cope with disappointments and difficult situations. We should be examples to our children and grandchildren of how to remain strong in difficult times.
The few months have witnessed a great improvement in the quality of air in our environment. Lesser human activities have reduced pollution, now we must think about our roles in protecting the environment. We can surely do better than how we have been doing before.
We have learned to appreciate physical contact with our loved ones. But now we have equally learned how to do without it. Thanks to technology, we can send our children, grandchildren, and loved ones virtual hugs.
Now that we are identifying things that are essentials and those that are not, we must have realized that while we have been busy pursuing non-essential things, some people are struggling to get the essential ones. So we may decide to dedicate our lives to assisting family members, friends, and anyone who truly needs help.
Being at home must have exposed us to a healthier way of living. Now we have more time to cook and eat a balanced diet. We have time to exercise, to get fresh air, relax, and bring up new ideas.
We must have seen life in a different way and have learned how to understand and tolerate others better. We must also have learned how to forgive more readily. After all, life is very short.
Most importantly we must have learned that we don’t have much control over many things. Our powers are limited. But we always have control over the way we live our lives.
With Gratitude and Love
Dewvy 
